pastries

These decadent pecan date bars are a bite-size alternative to holiday pecan pie.

These carrot-flecked, whole-grain morning glory muffins can be made ahead for breakfast or a snack so you can hit the ground running on a busy morning. Add a nonfat latte and your day will be off to a healthy start. Or make this coconut-carrot morning glory muffin recipe for a special brunch. Look for coconut oil, in jars or tubs, near other cooking oils in large supermarkets, in the natural-foods section, or in natural-foods stores.

We all love bread with our dinner but why not get a little more creative? Here we show you how to make pull-apart bread that’s loaded with garlic, herbs and Parmesan cheese, putting an end to boring dinner rolls.

We like to use chocolate with 60-72% cacao content in these rich, fudgelike brownies, as it imparts a deeper, fuller flavor than less-chocolaty choices. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

What?! You thought I was done posting pumpkin recipes? Ha! I fooled you! ?

A few weeks ago, Ben and I started leading the college group at church. To start things out right, I decided to bring a batch of these brownies to one of our first Bible studies. It was a busy day, so I had to put something together quickly. In fact, I made two batches because they are so easy to whip up!

“This delicate treat is made with fresh lemon and confectioners’ sugar. Wonderful with tea.”

“A special popover recipe to serve at your next brunch. Eggy and rich but not too sweet and quite impressive, but simple. Please try the lemon juice and powdered sugar on the top. It really adds to the total flavor!”

“Creme-filled chocolate cookies are great in this white chocolate fudge.”

“Simple, but out of this world!”

“This is ‘wicked good’ stuff! This creamy sweet confection will disappear as fast as a wink.”

“Chewy gooey caramel, nuts and chocolate. We call them Goober Cookies. They taste great the next day if you get them to last that long.”

“This was my aunt’s recipe for fudge, passed down through the family. It’s better than any fudge I’ve ever had at the Jersey shore, and easy enough to whip up in 15 minutes or so.”

“I have made this recipe for years. My children always chose it for their birthday cake over any other, and it makes enough for a…

“This is one of my favorite cookies of all time, although technically they’re closer to a pie than a cookie. Nothing prepares you for that intense, awesome sweet-tart lemon flavor and custard, perfectly contrasted against that crisp, sweet buttery shortbread cookie.”

“This is a very easy cake made with canned pumpkin and yellow cake mix. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.”

“Creamy chocolate fudge, topped off with a sweet chocolate ganache and garnished with (YOU GUESSED IT!) crunchy salty bacon! This combination of sweet and savory is PERFECT for unexpected appetizers, or just a dessert worth trying. I used this recipe for a contest, and won 50 bucks!”